


sparkling

by Jules1398



Category: The Book of Mormon - Parker/Stone/Lopez
Genre: Blindfolds, F/M, Post-Canon, Reunions, Snow, Surprises
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-17
Updated: 2019-01-17
Packaged: 2019-10-11 14:47:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17449049
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jules1398/pseuds/Jules1398
Summary: When Nabulungi pictured seeing Arnold again, she had assumed that it would involve actually seeing him, not being blindfolded and whisked away toward a mysterious surprise.





	sparkling

**Author's Note:**

> i wanted to write this oneshot idea before i forgot it bc i've had it for a while but certain lines started appearing in my head lmao. at least i'm writing something.  
> [come say hi!](http://chloevlntine.tumblr.com/)

The first thing Nabulungi’s boyfriend did after she landed was not kiss her, or hug her, or even say hi. No, the first thing Arnold did after seeing Nabulungi was slip a sleep mask over her eyes so that she couldn’t see anything.

“Arnold, people are going to think we’re kidnapping her,” Kevin said, in a familiar annoyed tone.

“She can take off the mask whenever she wants!” he protested.

She reached up to remove it and he slapped her hands away.

“Right…” Kevin mumbled.

“Arnold, I have come to Utah to celebrate American Christmas and, more importantly, to  _ see you _ ,” she told him. “This mask kind of defeats the purpose.”

“I have a surprise for you, but you need to keep it on,” Arnold insisted. “There will be plenty of time to see me later.”

She heard a sigh come from the direction that Kevin’s voice had come from earlier. “He’s right. If you take it off, it’ll kind of ruin the surprise. I just think he shouldn’t have opened with it rather than greeting you or, really, anything else.”

“Oh, right!” Arnold exclaimed and, all of a sudden, there were lips pressed against her own.

Nabulungi kissed back fervently. It had been months since she had seen Arnold, seeing as his mission had ended in September. She was thrilled to be seeing him again or, well, feeling and hearing him again.

“Can we go yet?” Kevin asked, interrupting their kiss. “Like, I’m very happy to see you and everything, but I’m in short-term parking.”

“Yep,” Arnold said, pulling away from her.

Something soft dropped around her shoulder and when someone helped her to slide her arms into it, she realized that it was some sort of shirt.

“It’s my older sister’s old jacket. It’s probably a size or two big on you, but I didn’t want you to get cold,” Kevin explained as he zipped up the front.

“Is it cold today?” she asked worriedly. She knew that America was much colder than Uganda, especially during this time of year. It probably that it would be colder than she had ever felt before.

“It’s not so bad,” Arnold replied. “Like 30 or something. I wanted to wear shorts but my mom told me I wasn’t allowed too because it’s  _ technically  _ winter and she said no sensible person wears shorts when it’s less than 50 degrees.”

“30 is still cold, especially for you, Naba,” Kevin said. “Kitguli was probably about at least twice as warm on its coldest day.”

And 30, was in fact, extremely cold, as she started shivering as soon as Arnold and Kevin dragged her outside.

“It’s fucking freezing,” she said through chattering teeth.

“We’re almost to the car,” Kevin promised. “You can sit in the front if you want. I have seat-warmers.”

“Hey,  _ I  _ was sitting in the front,” Arnold protested.

“And, it’s _ my  _ car,” Kevin snapped.

Arnold groaned and helped Nabulungi into her seat before settling into her own. Kevin got in the driver’s seat and started the engine.

“How long will I have to wear this mask?” Nabulungi asked. “I want to see the city!”

“About fifteen more minutes,” Kevin replied. “It’s a good thing today is like it is, otherwise you’d be wearing that for a lot longer.”

There was the sound of a hand smacking something and Kevin yelped in pain. Arnold must have hit him.

“What was that for?” he asked.

“You were going to give away the surprise,” Arnold accused. “You know, if I wanted someone to give away the surprise, I’d have had my mom drive me. She’d let me sit in front.”

Kevin snorted. “Chill. I guarantee you Naba has no idea what’s going on.”

“I do not and I am kind of afraid,” she admitted.

“Don’t be afraid. I’d never hurt you,” Arnold promised and, well, she couldn’t help but smile. Her boyfriend was incredibly sweet.

“At least not intentionally,” Kevin quipped from the front seat, earning a blind smack from Nabulungi this time.

A few minutes later, she felt the car stop and heard the click of the gears shifting beside her. “We’re here,” Kevin announced.

“You have to carry her,” Arnold said, and Nabulungi heard the sound of car doors opening. “Otherwise the surprise might be spoiled on accident, like if she steps the wrong way or something.”

“What?!” Kevin exclaimed. “Arnold, if you care that much, you can carry her!”

“Kevin, you know I don’t have the upper body strength for that! I’ve never done a pushup in my life,” he argued. “And you have the gait of a man that has a freakish amount of upper body strength, considering how lazy you’ve become.”

“You’re lucky you’re my best friend,” Kevin grumbled.

Nabulungi heard her door opened and then felt Kevin’s arms behind her back and under her knees, lifting her out of the car with a grunt.

“Arnold, you have to close the door,” Kevin ordered.

“Do I have to do  _ everything _ ,” he whined.

“I’m literally carrying your girlfriend.”

For a rare moment, Arnold was silent before finally conceding to his friend. “I guess that’s fair.”

They started walking who knows where as Nabulungi shivered in her friend’s arms. “Are we going to go inside soon?” she asked.

“Nope,” Kevin answered.

“You get used to the cold eventually,” Arnold promised her.

“I’m from Uganda. It might take a while,” she said sharply. The cold made her irritable.

“Here,” Arnold said.

Kevin set her down. “Finally.”

“Are you ready to see something amazing?” Arnold asked her.

She nodded.

A pair of hands reached for the face mask and removed it, revealing a park with seemingly untouched grass and tall trees, all covered in a layer of something blindingly white. Kevin had been right. Salt Lake City really did sparkle.

“Is this-” she began, before her breath caught in her throat.

“Snow,” Arnold confirmed. “I wanted to take you somewhere special for when you saw it for the first time.”

A dazed smile spread across her face. “It’s beautiful. You get to see this every winter?”

He nodded and Kevin said, “More than we’d like to.”

She crouched down close to the ground and reached for it, grabbing a handful and hissing when the coldness hit her skin. “It’s so wet.”

“It  _ is  _ water,” Kevin pointed out.

“The ice molecules melt when they touch your hand,” Arnold explained.

“I love it,” she muttered, before turning to look up at her boyfriend, who was staring at her with a fond expression. “I love  _ you _ .”

Nabulungi stood up and pressed her hands to his cheeks.

Arnold giggled. “It’s so  _ cold _ .”

“Your cheek will warm it up,” she said before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to his lips. She had missed him so much and now he had done something so incredibly thoughtful for her to make her first time seeing snow special. Nabulungi couldn’t believe how lucky she had been to meet Arnold.

After a few moments, she pulled away.

“Why did you stop?” Arnold pouted.

“I’m fucking cold,” she replied. “And Kevin is looking more annoyed by the minute. We can continue this at your house.”

“Okay, we’ll pick up from here after the party,” Arnold promised.

She raised an eyebrow. “There’s going to be a party?”

“Oh, crap,” Arnold said, eyes widening. “I mean there is definitely not a party and if there was it definitely wouldn’t include all the elders from our district. Or cake.”

Kevin sent a fierce glare his way. “I blindfolded her and shoved her in a car like a kidnapper and then carried her halfway across the damn park, not to mention having to watch you make out a few times for your surprise, but you can’t preserve mine? Do you know how much of a pain in the ass it was to get Elder Zelder here? He lives in  _ West Virginia _ ?!”

Nabulungi laughed and patted the two boys on the back. “I missed you two so much. You are the two most wonderful people I’ve ever met and I am very thankful for everything you’ve done for me, in Uganda and today. Now, let’s get back in the car. It’s too fucking cold out here.”


End file.
